https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_Sea_Hawk
The Hawker Sea Hawk was a British single-seat jet fighter of the Fleet Air Arm
(FAA), the air branch of the Royal Navy (RN), built by Hawker Aircraft and its
sister company, Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft. Although its origins stemmed from
earlier Hawker piston-engined fighters, the Sea Hawk became the company's first
jet aircraft.
Following the type's acceptance in the RN, the Sea Hawk proved to be a reliable
and sturdy workhorse. A considerable number were also produced for the export
market, and were operated from aircraft carriers in both Dutch and Indian
service. The last operational Sea Hawks, operated by the Indian Navy, were
retired in 1983.
The F 1 was armed with four 20 mm (.79 in) Hispano Mk V cannons. It was powered
by a single 5,000 lbf (22 kN) thrust Rolls-Royce Nene 101 centrifugal-equipped
turbojet engine. The Nene engine was viewed as being a major shortcoming on the
aircraft due to its lack of power; in 1950, the government had cancelled
development of the Rolls-Royce Tay, an afterburner-equipped further development
of the Nene engine, leaving no more powerful engines to equip the Sea Hawk. More
minor developments of the Nene engine were developed and were adopted on the
aircraft, providing for some increase in power.
The F 1 had a maximum speed of 599 mph (964 km/h) at sea level and a range of
800 mi (1,287 km) on internal fuel. A more refined fighter variant was the F 2,
which introduced power-boosted aileron controls as well as other modifications,
including to its structure. The next variant of the Sea Hawk was developed into
a fighter-bomber, the FB 3, and differed only slightly from its predecessors;
its structure being strengthened to allow it to carry a wider array of equipment
and weaponry on its four hard points, these included rockets, bombs, napalm,
mines, reconnaissance cameras, external drop tanks and fixtures for
rocket-assisted take-off gear (RATOG).
Unlike its rival, the Supermarine Attacker, which had been the first jet
aircraft to enter service with the FAA, the Sea Hawk had a tricycle
undercarriage rather than a tail-wheel, making it easier to land on carriers, it
was also Hawker's first aircraft to incorporate a nose-wheel undercarriage. The
Sea Hawk had adopted a fairly conventional design, being built with straight
wings while a number of other contemporary aircraft, such as the F-86 Sabre, had
adopted swept wings. The Sea Hawk was a reliable and elegant aeroplane, though
its cautious design meant it would only be attractive on the export market, and
thus be in production, for only a short period before being superseded by more
advanced aircraft.
Role
Naval fighter
Manufacturer
Hawker Aircraft
Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft
Designer
Sydney Camm
First flight
2 September 1947
Introduction
March 1953
Retired
1983
Primary users
Royal Navy
German Navy
Royal Netherlands Navy
Indian Navy
Number built
542
Variants
Hawker P.1072
During service evaluations of the Sea Hawk, both Australian and Canadian pilots
from each of their respective naval services would fly examples of the aircraft,
and there were official suggestions they would adopt the type as standard
equipment. However, both nations were also interested in new American-built
naval aircraft; only a handful of Sea Hawks would be transferred to either
nation, notably some would operate from the flight deck of the Australian
Majestic class aircraft carrier HMS Sydney, though these did not enter full
squadron service.
The Sea Hawk, as part of the Fleet Air Arm, saw extensive service during the
Suez Crisis, initiated by Egypt's nationalisation of the Suez Canal and naval
blockade of southern Israeli ports in violation of the 1949 armistice and UN
Security Council resolution denying passage of the Straits of Tiran to Israeli
shipping. The United Kingdom, France and Israel conspired to provoke war, with
the Anglo-French invasion being known as Operation Musketeer, beginning on 31
October 1956. During the conflict, six Sea Hawk squadrons took part: two were
aboard the fleet carrier HMS Eagle and two each aboard the light fleet carriers
HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark. The Sea Hawks were primarily used to perform ground
attack missions in the theatre, due to aircraft such as the Hunter lacking the
range or clearance to deliver munitions, the entire British ground attack
capability during the conflict was delivered by the Royal Navy's Sea Hawks,
typically being escorted by de Havilland Sea Venom fighters.
Specifications (Sea Hawk FGA 6)
General characteristics
Crew: One
Length: 39 ft 8 in (12.09 m)
Wingspan: 39 ft 0 in (11.89 m)
Height: 8 ft 8 in (2.64 m)
Empty weight: 9,278 lb (4,208 kg)
Loaded weight: 13,220 lb (5,996 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 16,150 lb (7,325 kg)
Performance
Maximum speed: 600 mph (965 km/h)
Range: 480 mi (770 km)
Service ceiling: 44,500 ft (13,564 m)
Rate of climb: 5,700 ft/min (29.0 m/s)
Thrust/weight: 0.38
Armament
*
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